Have you ever gotten into a conversation about the supposed fascist underpinnings of comic book superheroes? A film which embraces and teases this fascist nature is “The Green Lantern.” Test pilot Hal Jordan joins an interplanetary army built on the idea that pure willpower can overcome fear, making the universe safe for corrupt politicians, the military industrial complex, and Blake ... more >
ARCHIVES
The green lantern
Boom! Kapow! Michel Gondry-style
Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard,
Directed by Michel Gondry
KNIGHT AND DAY
Nobody follows them or he will kill himself and then her!
Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Peter Sarsgaard
Directed by James Mangold
It’s been a summer where the law of diminishing returns continues to apply and such is the case with director James Mangold’s “Night and Day.” Here is a movie that stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz and gets off to a high flying start, only to glide on action and star charisma the rest of the way. It’s pleasant and entertaining, but it’s also another movie that doesn’t try too hard. Cruise is ... more >
An Education
The innocence of the young
Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina
Directed by Lone Scherfig
[SPOILER WARNING] I once wrote Steven Spielberg never creates an interesting moral dilemma that a boy in a helicopter can’t fly his way out of. I feel the same way about Lone Scherfig’s An Education, a film that repeatedly Medivacs its teenage heroine out of real complication and back to the Army Field Hospital for Conventional Wisdom. The film is the American Beauty of 2009, teasing us with a ... more >
Orphan
Watching more horror movies is good for you
Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard and Isabelle Fuhrman
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
I laughed all the way through the evil child thriller Orphan. Was that a good laugh? Was that a bad laugh? I don't know. I never figured it out. All I can report is that I was laughing. When the little dark haired homicidal maniac forces a nun's car off the road and kills her with a hammer? That's depraved! When she asks her curly-haired kid sister to help her hide the body? Am I chuckling ... more >
“In the electric mist”
Detective Robicheaux is on the prowl
John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard and Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier
There are several versions of Bertrand Tavernier’s “In the Electric Mist” floating about, appropriately enough given the title. Don’t know which one I’ve just seen but it is safe to assume that they are all as confusing. I would advise avoiding trying to tie together the several story lines, sitting back and enjoying the New Orleans setting, the great performances by John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard ... more >